


Autumn Date

by Ero_the_Great_I



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: But whatever, F/F, This is so not gonna be canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 17:29:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3737404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ero_the_Great_I/pseuds/Ero_the_Great_I
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Movie Night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Autumn Date

**Author's Note:**

> And this is the, for now, final one of my Meetings Series as I have come to dub it. Hope you'll enjoy and maybe experience some feels.

**Autumn Date**

 

Chloe Price was a special girl in her life. She had been her BFF for years up until five years ago when she moved, and she would be lying if meeting again hadn't been trying for both of them. And it still was occasionally. But they managed to get into a comfortable routine rather quickly.

If someone asked her she would say with full confidence that she loved Chloe and, as she had, said their friendship would last forever.

That didn't change the fact that Max felt, in this very moment, the urge to smack Chloe over the head, as the other girl was laughing her ass off, her right hand hitting the table. She knew it was a mistake to tell her about her plans with Kate.

 _Seriously..._ Max thought and tried to pretend not to notice the looks some of the other customers shot them. She made a mental note that if – and that was a pretty big if – she ever told Chloe something like that again, she would not do it in a place like the Two Whales Diner.

Chloe wasn't the least bit bothered and simply continued to laugh. It wasn't until Joyce headed over to them, stopped at their table and placed her hands on her hips, using years of experience she forged in the fires of her daughter's teenage wrath to make her shut up with a single glance. “And what the hell is so funny here?” she asked.

“Mom, you won't believe this.” Chloe had to stop herself from bursting into laughter once more.

“What? That you're losing it?”

“No. OK listen to this: Max has a date. Tomorrow!” Chloe's body shook as she tried not to laugh. It looked kinda painful.

“It's not a date... not really”, Max all but mumbled and shrunk back a little in her seat, forgoing to pretend to not notice the other people. Joyce picked up on that look and turned around.

“Show's over!” Everyone looked away and returned to what they were doing before.

“Thanks Joyce”, Max sighed in relief.

“No problem.” Joyce looked at her daughter. “Done now?”

“Yes, ma'am.” Chloe chuckled.

Joyce had always been kind to her, was kind of like a second mother to her in fact, and that kindness was reflected in the smile she was giving Max now. “Time sure does fly...So, do I know the lucky guy?”

“Bzzt!” Chloe interrupted before Max could even say something.

“It's...”, Max hesitated a little, making sure that no one paid attention any more. “It's a girl actually. Kate Marsh.”

Joyce was a little surprised, but only for a second or two. “Hmm, I know that name-oh!” a look of realization crossed her face. “Isn't she the one-”

Max nodded before she could finish the question. Trying to steer the conversation from that particular subject she said: “And like I said, it's not really a date.”

“Oh, but you're gonna make it one”, Chloe teased. “Not like you need to. You're like her knight in shining armor. Easy peasy.”

“Says the constantly dateless.” Joyce threw in and patted Max on the shoulder before going back to her job with a friendly “Good luck.”

“Ouch, Mom”, Chloe said dryly. Turning back to Max she gave a shrug and returned to eating her fries. Max was already done with her food. “So where are you gonna take her?”

Max rested her chin on the palm of her left hand. “I promised her a while ago we'd go book shopping. Then maybe go grab something to eat and take a walk. I've already got a place in mind for that.”

“Oh?” Chloe looked at her intrigued. “Where?”

“And have you show up? Nope!”

“Fuck! You wound me, Caulfield.” Chloe placed a hand over heart.

They shared a grin at that.

Max was happy that Chloe was taking it so lightly. Part of her had been afraid she would have been irritated at her like back when they first met again, which was part of the reason why she only told her now. Chloe being ok with it was important to her.

“So, does Warren know?”

“No. Why should he?”

“Ah, not important. Really.” Chloe snickered.

After Chloe had finished her food, they left the diner and Chloe offered to give Max a ride back to Blackwell. She loved Chloe's car. Sure, it was pretty shitty looking and was falling apart in places, but it was just so...Chloe. It was like a small space of freedom where they didn't have to give any shits.

The drive back was silent, neither of them having anything to say, simply enjoying their best friend's company. Only when they pulled up to Blackwell did Chloe speak up.

“You...really care about her, don't you?” Chloe asked Max and stopped the car, her tone being more serious for once. Max turned to look at her. Their eyes met.

“Yes”, Max said.

“Since when did you know?”

“The hospital. But I think it was already before that. It was only then that I realized.” Max played with the strap of her camera bag. “I kissed her then, you know? But I chickened out and rewound time. It just wasn't the best of times.”

“Damn.” Chloe sat back in her seat, her hand going to her right pocket and fishing out her pack of cigarettes. She put one between her lips and lighted it, taking a long drag of it before exhaling the smoke. Max didn't like that Chloe had become a smoker over the years. It just showcased how much she had changed from the girl she had known. But that was something she couldn't change anymore.

 _So much lost time..._ All that was left for them was to make up for it.

“For all it's worth I hope this'll go somewhere for you.” Chloe said honestly and looked on ahead. “And the hero's gotta get the girl after all.”

“I'm not a hero”, Max protested and smiled slightly. “And it means the world to hear you say it.”

“Heh, 'not a hero' she says. Girl, you saved her damn life! If anyone is a hero – _her_ hero – it's you. And she'd be stupid not to like you back.” Chloe took another drag of her coffin nail and shot her a crooked grin. “Well or hella straight!”

“How reassuring”, Max said dryly.

“Aww, don't pout!” Chloe made a grab for Max and pulled her into a hug before the other girl could do anything. “Don't worry your pretty little head. She'll like you back, I'm sure. Just concentrate on making tomorrow a special day for her.”

Chloe let Max go again, but tousled her hair up for good measure. Max chuckled and straightened her hair as best as she could. “Now go out and get 'er.”

Max got out of the car and looked back at Chloe. “Thanks. I'll text you later.”

They fist bumped and Max closed the door before walking towards the dorms, leaving Chloe to her own thoughts. She felt a slight pang in her chest as she watched her friend go.

“Ugh, let's not go down that fucking road, Price!” Chloe berated herself and drove off.

Back in the dorm, Max walked to her room but the sound of a violin being played made her stop in front of Kate's. It felt good hearing her play again. Not having Kate play in the morning made it feel like some part of the dorm's feelings had been missing.

Right now she was playing Greensleeves. One of Kate's favorites. Max walked over to the door, closed her eyes and just listened. Quietly she hummed along with the melody. Sadly the song didn't last for long and silence set in. Max opened her eyes once again and looked at the door in front of her.

Without giving it a second thought she lifted her hand and knocked on the door. She heard something from the other side, the violin being placed away most likely, before the door was opened.

“Max.” Kate smiled. “Can I help you with something?”

“No. I just...uh.” Max chewed on her bottom lip. “I just wanted to check in with you. We're...still on for tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course.” Kate giggled. “Nothing's changed from the last time we talked about it. Which was yesterday.”

“Really?” Max felt her face heat up and found her shoes incredibly fascinating now. _Good going Max._ _You just reached Xander Harris level of smooth operator._ _Aaaaand I think I need a new pair of shoes,_ _these sure have seen better days._

Kate nodded, chuckling.

“Sorry.”

“Don't worry. So we're still meeting after class?”

“Yeah. At the fountain.”

“Great. So would you like to come in and have a cup of tea?” Kate brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear as it had come loose from her bun.

Max shook her head. “No. I still have to do some homework and I'm actually pretty beat so I think I'll turn in early. But thanks for the offer.”

“Anytime, Max. See you.”

“Yeah, see you.” Kate closed the door again and Max was left in the hallway. She looked at Kate's door for a few more seconds, then headed inside her own room. As she did her homework, she left her door open to listen to the faint sounds of Kate's violin as she resumed playing.

 

\- - -

 

The next day Max could hardly concentrate and had been reprimanded a few times for not paying attention in class. Even Warren had given her a worried look doing science class. She never had felt so relieved to hear the last bell of the day and hightailed out of class as fast as she could.

Avoiding anyone that could possibly want to talk with her she made it out of the building and sat down at the fountain. She waited for a few minutes, tapping her foot in anticipation. Taking out her camera she took a selfie and looked at the photo. _Man, could I look any more nervous?_ she wondered.

Looking up from her selfie she saw Kate approaching and put the photo as well as her camera back into her bag.

“Hey”, Kate greeted her, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and Max got back to her feet. “So where are we going?”

“I was thinking first things first and we go to the bookstore”, Max said as they headed towards the bus stop. “Unless you'd rather eat first.”

“No, I'm good.”

“Shopping it is then”

The bus ride was rather uneventful, just a bit idle chatter between to friends, but it passed the time quite well until they arrived at their stop and got off the bus. Side by side they walked to the bookstore that had been in town since Max could remember. It was not a big store like the ones in Seattle, but it had a decent selection and if all else failed they could order the book for you.

As they entered, a bit of nostalgia overcame Max, remembering the time when she had bought her first book here. And now she was here with the girl she liked.

Max and Kate walked along the shelves, sometimes taking out a book to read the summary on the back. It didn't take long for Kate to find something that interested her, while Max couldn't really decide. Until she found a copy of The Small Assassin by Bradbury. _Lucky!_

Eager to actually own a book by him she grabbed it, all others that she might have been interested in forgotten, and Kate giggled at the eager grin on Max’s face.

They looked around for a little bit longer before they paid for the books and left. From there they headed to a nice little restaurant that was reasonable affordable for a student, not wanting to take her to Two Whales. Not that it was a bad place but it just wasn't something she related to a date. It was where Chloe and her hung out and it should stay that way. One of their places.

“Order what you want. My treat”, Max said.

“Are you sure?” Kate looked at her questioningly.

“Yeah.” she nodded and smiled at the other girl. “Don't worry, my wallet can take it.”

“Well if you insist...”

Max watched Kate, the smile not leaving her face as they placed their order.

“So anything new with Stella and Alyssa?” she asked Kate. “I haven't seen them much except for class.” And during class Stella was always giving her that weird wink whenever their eyes met.

“Well there's something regarding Alyssa”, Kate said. “I think she might have a crush on Warren...”

“On Warren?” Max blinked. Well that wasn't good. “That might be a problem. Brooke likes him.”

“Yes. I think that's also why she's been so distant lately. She's always been someone who tries to deal with things on her own.”

“If you like I can try to breach the subject with Warren, see what he might think of her.” Kate raised one of her eyebrows and looked at her like she had grown a second head. “What?”

“You really don't know?”

“What?”

“That Warren likes you.”

“Him? No, I doubt that. Besides even if he did, I don't think of him that way. He's like a geeky brother.”

Kate just blinked and said nothing.

“What?” Max wanted to know. Kate shook her head, face split into a wide smile.

“Nothing. Sometimes you're unbelievable, you know that?”

“Uh, OK, I guess?” Now Max was even more confused. Lucky for her their food had chosen this moment to arrive, saving her from saying something that might have embarrassed her.

After having eaten, Max paid for the food and they left towards the next bus stop. As they walked Kate linked her arm with Max's, making her heart skip a beat for a second as Kate gave her a charming smile.

“So what's next? Back home?”

“Yes and no”, Max said and Kate raised a delicate brow. “You'll see.”

 

\- - -

 

The ride back on the bus was a silent affair. Neither of them having or wanting to say anything. They simply enjoyed each other's company. Back at Blackwell, Max led Kate back to the dorm. But instead of going back into their dorm she led her past it into the small forest that was behind the school.

“Have you ever been here?” Max asked her.

“To be honest, no.”

“A lot of the students don't come here. Samuel told me that during this time of year it's especially pretty.” And it was. The leaves a deep red, slowly falling to the ground as autumn started to make way for winter. Once they were deeper inside Max stopped in her tracks. She watched Kate as she walked around, looking up at the trees, a beautiful smile on her lips.

“It's so quiet here.” she inhaled the air, closed her eyes and raised her arms a little. To Max she looked like an angel.

Her hands went to her bag and pulled out her camera, pointing it at Kate until she had the perfect shot and took a picture. The sound of her camera caused Kate to open her eyes again and look into her direction, shaking the photo while putting her camera away again.

Max walked over to her to show it to her. Kate blushed. “That was mean, you should've asked me first”, she said and playfully pushed against Max's arm.

“I couldn't resist. And I really wanted a happy picture of you.” Max smiled and looked away, a little embarrassed at the words. She felt Kate's hand take hold of hers and looked back at her.

“Let's make some with both of us on on them.”

“Yeah.” Max nodded eagerly.

And that's what they did. They spend an hour just walking around, taking photos and laughing. Simply enjoying each other without a care in the world. Here, in this little forest, nothing else mattered.

It was only when the sun was starting to set and it was becoming colder that they decided to head back. “It sure has gotten cold”, Kate said and rubbed her hands together as they got back. “Let's go back to my room and I can make us some tea.”

“Throw in a nice, warm blanket and you got a deal.” They entered the door and walked to her room. Kate unlocked the door and they both headed inside. As Kate went ahead to make them some tea, Max walked over to Bonnie's cage and knelt down in front of it.

 _Yeah, you don't need to worry about any cold with that fur of yours. Wanna share?_ she mentally communicated with her. _No? Yeah, thought as much._

“There should be a blanket under the bed. If you don't mind to share”, Kate told her.

Did Max mind? Nope! “No, that's fine”, she said and went over to the bed and pulled the blanket from under it. She carried it over to the sofa and sat down on it, pulling it around herself. _Might as well heat it up a little._

Once the tea was done, Kate sat down beside Max, handing her the cup while Max put the blanket around her. They drank the tea in silence, letting it warm them from the inside, occasionally looking at each other, but not saying a word. Max started to become nervous. What now?

Suddenly Kate put her cup away, pulled her legs up under the blanket and then snuggled up to Max. She nearly dropped her own cup as she felt the other girl drawing closer to her. She placed it somewhere safe enough so that she wouldn't spill it.

“Thank you for today. I really enjoyed myself”, Kate said, not even trying to hide the blush on her face and it made Max's heart go faster by the second.

“It...” Max had to swallow. “It wasn't anything special. We just hung out. That's what friends do.”

“That's not true.” Kate turned her body so that she wouldn't have to strain herself while looking at her, making their eyes meet. “Remember when I said 'God put me on this roof'?”

Max nodded. She didn't like to think back to that day. “Y-yeah.”

“But it was also Him that brought you to me that day. So don't say today wasn't anything special. Anything connected to you is special.”

“Kate”, she said the name in a whisper, eyes darting down to her lips. Gingerly she cupped one of Kate's cheeks. The girl leaned into her touch. Slowly Max leaned forward and placed a kiss on Kate's other cheek. She locked eyes with her again, searching for any sign of reluctance. She found none.

Leaning in slowly, she brought their lips together in a tender kiss.

It was short and chaste, lasting only a few seconds, but still it made her heart do somersaults when Kate had responded instantly. Their faces remained close together, forehead's touching and noses brushing against one another.

“I never liked a girl like this before”, Kate said, her voice quiet.

“I've...I've always kinda suspected that I...you know, like boys and girls.” Max blushed. “Does that bother you?”

“No. I always had an open mind about...this. My church as well. Though my mother might throw a little fit.”

“We can still go back to how things were”, Max said. But she didn't want to. She wanted this. Them.

“No!” Kate's voice rose, but then became quiet again. “Max, we can't. I cannot ignore these feelings any longer. And I don't want to. When I was at my lowest point, you refused to give up on me even though I already did. If there is one thing I truly want in this world then it's this. And my mother will just have to get over it.”

Max couldn't describe how happy she felt upon hearing those words, so she simply smiled and placed her other arm around Kate, pulling her closer, moving them into a lying position. “I want that too.”

They kissed again, a little longer this time.

After the kiss they remained on the sofa, simply enjoying the closeness to one another, until they both fell asleep.

They didn't know what would happen in the future, but whatever it may be, they would handle it.

Together.


End file.
